School of Information

To mitigate rising healthcare costs and FFS (Fee for Service) charges, large healthcare organizations are beginning to restructure their models for providing patient services. Many of these healthcare organizations have implemented an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) to free the physical location of charts and automate business rules. This case study examines the failure of a large metropolitan department of public health's (DPH) attempts to upgrade their EMR system. While political, technological and economic barriers persist, the assumptions made by this proprietary EMR vendor did not reflect the diverse services provided by the organization. As a result, the implementation failed after two years of effort. Vendors of EMR systems need to provide flexibility with rules engines and user interface design to accommodate the changing landscape of healthcare as a service.